Method and Top For Playing Game

ABSTRACT

A plastic hollow conical top with a replaceable metal tip at its lower end and an open, annular upper end is spun by twirling it. The spinning top may be placed on various horizontally positioned surfaces of the body and transferred between those surfaces. Thereafter the spinning top is inverted onto a game board, at which time it stops spinning and the annular upper end rests on the board surface. The board may be covered with sand to allow the top to land only partially inverted, in which event sand may be thrown against the top to cause it to become completely inverted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a game utilizing a top and a method of playingthe same.

Various games employing tops which are made to spin and move are known.For example:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,083 to Karabekian et al. discloses a game where atarget top is stricken by a spinning top thrown by a player, to move thetarget top along a playing field. Prior to being thrown, the spinningtop is caused to spin on the palm of the player's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,798 to Yang discloses a game involving impactbetween opposing tops.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,790 to Camillo discloses a game wherein multipletop-like pieces are caused to spin.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,827 to Liu discloses a fighting game using spinningtops.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,847 to Beck discloses a game wherein spinning disksare manually projected and “thumped”.

U.S. Pat. No. 836,956 to Bekefi discloses a conical top with peripheralconcentric grooves for receiving a cord to spin the top.

An object of the invention is to provide a game of skill utilizing oneor more tops which can be played by one person or a number of persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As herein described, a game is played with a hollow generally conicaltop. The top has a substantially pointed lower end. The upper end of thetop has a generally annular end surface. The top is set spinning bytwirling it. While the top is spinning, it is placed on a substantiallyhorizontal supporting surface so that the top continues to spin. The topis then moved without grasping it, so that the top becomes positionedupside down on a designated surface with the end surface of the topresting on the designated surface. The top may be so moved by inverting,overturning, upending or flipping it, or by throwing granular materialat it.

IN THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a top according to a preferredembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a front elevation view of the top shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a bottom plan view of the top shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows the top of FIG. 1 being twirled at its tip by a player ofa game according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2B shows the top spinning on the palm of a hand of the player.

FIG. 2C shows the top spinning on an arm of the player.

FIG. 2D shows the top spinning on the forehead of the player.

FIG. 2E shows the top spinning on a thigh of the player.

FIG. 3A shows the top being tossed by the player so as to invert thetop.

FIG. 3B shows the top in its inverted position, about to land on asand-covered surface.

FIG. 4A shows the top after it has landed in an inverted position on thesand-covered surface.

FIG. 4B shows the top in an alternate landing position wherein the topis only partially inverted on the sand-covered surface.

FIG. 4C shows the top in a fully inverted position after it has beendeflected from the partially inverted position shown in FIG. 4B by sandparticles thrown by the player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The top 10 shown in the figures and best seen in FIGS. 1A to 1C has ahollow plastic body 11 with a removable plastic tip 12 at its pointedlower end. The plastic body has a relatively thin wall, and the upperend of the top has an annular end surface 13. The top is symmetricalabout a longitudinal axis x-x′ which extends from the pointed end of thetip 12 through the center of the annular surface 13.

The game according to the invention is played by manipulating the top 10in various ways. The top is caused to spin and is then transferred toone or more horizontally positioned surfaces of a player's body; afterwhich the player inverts, upends, overturns, or flips the spinning topin an effort to cause it to land upside down on a game board or otherplaying surface. The player may do this by a sudden movement of his orher body and/or by striking the top.

The top is spun by its tip, and then placed with its tip on the playingsurface where it spins. The player employs one hand or both hands to tipthe top upside down without actually grasping it, so that the top restswith its upper open end on the playing surface.

Scoring may be done according to the number of body surfaces onto whichthe top is moved, the length of time the top is kept in play, the numberof times or percentage of times the top is successfully landed upsidedown on the game board or other playing surface, or a combinationthereof.

In an embodiment wherein the playing surface is sand or a sand coveredsurface, the top may land only partially inverted, in which case thescoring may provide for a partial credit and the player may throw aclump of sand at the top in an effort to move it to a fully invertedposition.

These modes of play are exemplified by FIGS. 1A through 2E. 3A and 3B,and 4A through 4C.

FIG. 2A shows a player twirling the top to set it spinning about itslongitudinal axis x-x′. After the player sets the top spinning, heallows it to fall into the palm of his hand as shown in FIG. 2B; and thetop continues to spin on his palm, which is horizontally oriented.

Then the player moves his arm in such a way as to cause the top to moveonto a horizontally oriented surface of his arm, while the top continuesto spin, as shown in FIG. 2C.

The player may also twirl the top as shown in FIG. 2A and then transferthe spinning top to his forehead while maintaining his forehead in ahorizontally oriented position, as shown in FIG. 2D.

Alternatively, the player may transfer the spinning top to ahorizontally oriented surface of his thigh, as shown on FIG. 2E.

In FIG. 3A the player tosses the top which was spinning on his palm, insuch a way that it becomes inverted and lands upside down on sand 14, asshown in FIG. 3B, with the annular surface 13 of the top resting on thesand 14. This inversion may be accomplished by a hand motion whichupends, overturns or flips the top onto the sand 14.

The sand may be naturally occurring sand, such as when the game isplayed on a beach, or may be sand contained in a box or covering thesurface of a game board.

According to the game, the player may not grasp the top in order toinvert it. Rather, the player must initiate the movement to upend,overturn or flip the top while the top is spinning and without holdingonto the top.

When the player is successful in getting the top to land on the sand 14in a fully inverted position, it appears as shown in FIG. 4A.

When attempting to invert the top 10 so that it lands upside down on thesand 14, sometimes the top lands in such a way that it is only partiallyinverted, as shown in FIG. 14B. When that occurs, the player may try toincrease his score by throwing sand particles 15 at the side of the topso as to deflect it to a fully inverted position as shown in FIG. 4C.

1. A method of playing a game utilizing a hollow generally conical tophaving a substantially pointed lower end and an upper end having agenerally annular end surface, with a longitudinal axis extendingbetween said lower end and a central part of said end surface,comprising the steps of: causing the top to spin about said axis; whilethe top is spinning, disposing the top on a substantially horizontalsupporting surface so that the lower end of the top rests on thesupporting surface and the top continues to spin; and moving thespinning top without grasping the same, so that the top becomespositioned upside down on a designated surface with the end surface ofthe top resting on the designated surface.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said moving step comprises striking the top.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein said top is manually stricken. 4.The method according to claim 2, wherein said top is stricken bythrowing granular material at the same.
 5. The method according to claim1, wherein the top is made of plastic.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe lower end of the top comprises a plastic tip.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein said annular end surface is circular. 8.The method according to claim 1, wherein said moving step comprisestossing the top.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said movingstep comprises inverting, upending, overturning or flipping the top. 10.A method of playing a game utilizing a hollow conical top having apointed tip and an annular end surface opposite the tip, with alongitudinal axis extending between the tip and the center of the endsurface, comprising the steps of: twirling the top to set it spinningabout said axis; while the top is spinning, disposing the top on asubstantially horizontal supporting surface so that the tip rests on thesupporting surface and the top continues to spin; and while the top isspinning on the supporting surface, overturning the top so that the topbecomes positioned upside down on a designated surface with the endsurface of the top resting on the designated surface.
 11. A hollowgenerally conical top having a substantially pointed lower end and anupper end having a generally annular end surface, with a longitudinalaxis extending between said lower end and a central part of said endsurface.
 12. The top according to claim 11, wherein said lower endcomprises a plastic tip.